‘It was time’: Baseball coach resigns after 20 years, four titles

By Benjamin Shinault

Standing guard at the entrance of the dugout of Sonny Pittaro Field for the last 20 years has been a head coach driven by leadership and accountability. That same coach has brought an illustrious amount of success to Rider baseball and anywhere he coached.

On Jan. 17, Barry Davis announced that he will be resigning as head coach of Rider baseball after 20 seasons. 

Whether it’s winning four Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships, two regular-season championships and even a win in the NCAA tournament against a nationally-ranked opponent, Davis is a proven winner, accumulating 1,026 wins over his coaching career and has helped a number of Broncs make their way to professional baseball.

The early years

Hired in July of 2004, Davis already carried success with him after winning four national championships in an 11-year span at Gloucester County College, now Rowan College of South Jersey, and had an overall record of 434-109.

Following his legendary stint in South Jersey, Davis got an opportunity to coach at Georgia Southwestern State, where he stayed for four years until he got hired at Rider by former Athletic Director, Curt Blake.

“He thought enough of me to hire me, to follow what is a legend in Sonny Pittaro … he believed in me,” Barry Davis said.

Pittaro, who coached Rider baseball for 34 years before retiring in 2004, and also a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, left massive shoes for Davis to fill.

In his first season in 2005, Davis finished with an overall record of 21-29. Three seasons later, Davis won his first-ever MAAC Championship, wasting no time in adding to the trophy case.

“The first championship is always the one you remember and I remember that group of guys, that was my first real big recruiting class,” Davis said.

Two years later, Rider won another championship. The 2010 season reaped success as the Broncs had the MAAC Pitcher of the Year in Mike Thomas, who would go on to be drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers and won their second championship in three years.

A stretch of dominance

“There were a couple teams along the way, especially in 2011, 2013 and 2015, that were probably better than some of the teams that won with the exception of probably the 2023 team which I would make the argument was the most accomplished team that I have had,” Davis said.

The 2023 team finished with a record of 36-21 and won regular season matchups against Duke and Oklahoma.

In that same season, Rider won its first NCAA tournament game since 1987 thanks to a late-inning surge of offense and a game-saving diving catch by now senior outfielder Richie Sica. 

Sica, having been with the Broncs since the 2022 season, opened up about seeing Davis exit the diamond.

“It was bittersweet because it was sad to see him leave after what he’s done with the program,” Sica said, “but, it was also a little bit of excitement for what the next chapter could bring.”

After Sica laid out for the grab against Coastal Carolina in the Conway Regional of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Davis acted accordingly. 

“He came up to me and gave me a big hug,” Sica said.

With the season starting Feb. 21 against Campbell, Davis felt like it was time to move on to other endeavors.

“There’s a lot of things that go into it, for me, the timing is definitely not ideal with the season coming up but for various reasons, it just works out for me,” Davis explained.

Davis has had the thoughts of resignation on his mind for months and he wanted to act on it before the season was fully in gear.

“I’ve had the full fall, the winter, to really think about it and make sure it’s the right decision for me,” Davis said.

When Davis finally came to the decision to resign, he had to face the hardest challenge: telling his players.

“They took it as well as you can take it,” Davis said. “I tried to be as honest as I could with them … I’m willing to help them with anything they need. It’s a great opportunity for them to take what they’ve learned and take what we have and take it to the next level.

The new era

With Davis’ departure, Athletic Director Don Harnum announced in a Jan. 23 press release that Lee Lipinski ’16, assistant coach and hitting coach for eight years, will be the interim head coach for the Broncs while they search for a formal replacement.

Lipinski said, “I want to thank Coach Barry Davis for teaching me so much and setting an incredible example, as well as Athletic Director Don Harnum for his unwavering support and confidence in giving me the opportunity to lead this team.”

Davis, who coached Lipinski for five years, has nothing but praise for the newest executive of the dugout.

“There’s very few people that have stayed this long and do lessons in the middle of the night just to coach,” Davis said of Lipinski. “He’s certainly paid his dues in terms of the time spent and it’s up to him to take advantage of the opportunity.”

Sica, who has been coached by Lipinski for four years now, loves the potential that Lipinski brings to the plate.

“I love him, our team loves him, I think he’s bringing this energy that we haven’t seen out of him,” Sica said, “I think he’s doing a really good job of just keeping everything moving and not really getting too hung up on Davis resigning.”

As the years accumulated for Davis, the landscape of Rider baseball would evolve and he is proud of where the program stands as he takes an exit.

“I feel great about what I accomplished here, I’m so proud of all the players that I have had the chance to work with,” Davis said, “I’m looking forward to whatever happens next.”

Davis said he will be releasing a fiction novel titled, “Old Dogs New Tricks: The Power of Leading with Emotional Intelligence.” The novel releases in the spring.

Related Articles

Back to top button